Powhatan State Park

Local campgrounds are great places to gather with friends for a weekend of outdoor fellowship. That’s why we chose nearby Powhatan State Park as the spot to go camping with three families from church. We hiked here in the past but had never checked out its campground. The close location would also allow others from the group, who may not be up for camping, to come out for the day on Saturday. On this trip, however, the weather interfered with that prospect. It was a rainy weekend, but the clouds didn’t damper the fun. We left on Sunday with plans to return during the summer, and with shock that we hadn’t camped here sooner!

Nestled on the banks of the James River in Powhatan, this newer state park is so peaceful. It offers outdoor adventure with multi-use trails and river access, plus a side of tranquility with a smaller 29-site full-service campground, a group camping area, and a hike-in/paddle-in primitive campground. The sites in Riverbend Campground are pretty private with good spacing and plenty of trees, and the bathhouse is probably the best we’ve seen. 

We love how spread out everything is, but we would bring our bikes next time so we don’t have to drive to the visitor center and playground. The park also has great picnic areas with pavilions, including one near the playground and one on the river, making this a great place to gather with large groups. 

With the same laid-back, welcoming atmosphere as our neighboring community of Powhatan, this is a park we will be returning to over and over again. 

Fast Facts (and Opinions)

Location: Powhatan State Park, Powhatan, VA

Equipment: Travel Trailer

Date: March 2024

Weather: Rainy, cool, partly sunny

Kid-Friendly: Yes (ours were ages 11 and 10)

Dog-Friendly: Yes (we have a large dog and a small dog)

Site: 7 (others in our group were at sites 5, 6, and 8)

• Water/Electric

• Pull-Through

• Level

• Gravel

• Partial shade

• Many trees

• Very spacious and private - provided a great gathering spot for our group of 16

• Very close to the bathhouse 

• Best site in our opinion

Bathhouse:

• Best bathhouse we’ve seen so far

• Only one in the campground

• 4 external shower rooms on one side

• Approx. 6 bathrooms with toilet and sink (rather than men’s and women’s rooms) - a couple were closed most likely due to being opening weekend of the campground

• 2 of the bathrooms also contained showers

• Outdoor dishwashing station

• Laundry room

Cell Service: Yes (Verizon)

Park Highlights:

Click here to watch highlight reel.

• James River access with 3 car-top boat launches

• Multi-use trails (closed to bikes and horses during our visit due to the recent large amounts of rain)

• 3 large picnic pavilions

• Nice playground

• Paddle-in / hike-in primitive campground

Area Highlights:

• Powhatan and nearby areas of Richmond have much to do and experience

Park Hikes:

• Campground Trail to Coyote Run -  2.2-mile lollipop loop

• Easy hike from campground

• Through fields and woods

• Easy, flat, wide trails

• Muddy after rain

• Overlook Trail - not on trail guide

  • Short out-and-back trail from campground loop to views of the river

  • Nice benches

Area Hikes:

• None that we explored

Other Campsites:

• They are all great sites, but we would probably not choose site 1 or 29 right at the entrance

• Sites 7 and 8 are the only pull-through sites - site 8 is further from the bathhouse but it has slight river views

• 3 yurts in the campground

Things to Do Next Visit (Because There's Just Never Enough Time!):

• During warmer weather, we would like to float or paddle the 2-mile stretch between boat launches!

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